William Rhode<\/p>\n
Joshua King’s father dies of a viagra overdose and in his will, states that his son would inherit a fortune if he wrote a bestseller. Josh is of course, busy bumming around in India, clueless about what to do with his life, and doesn’t particularly like being forced to have a purpose. But the money is tempting, and so Josh sets out on the job.<\/p>\n
This premise ensures that the entire book\/ parts of it can be seen in meta – though Josh is writing it in the first person, it might as well be completely his imagination at work. As Josh himself states, quite a few times, the book has it all – “drugs, diamonds, exotic locations, sexy girl, the plan that goes horribly wrong”. Add to this some deceit, a few doses of how media makes stories and a sprinkling of philosophy, and you have a reasonably good read in your hands.<\/p>\n
I’d say that Josh is tripping on life in general, and India in particular. In addition to the familiar stereotypes, there are also thinly veiled inspirations – Faizad Gerstad, the drug peddling film director, Dowdy Ibrahim – the mafia warlord, to name a few.<\/p>\n
A roller coaster ride – from Bombay’s party and ‘Boom Shankar’ circuit to its grimy street life and then a roadtrip to the deserts of Rajasthan, its definitely fantastical, and though you can easily guess the end, it keeps your attention.<\/p>\n
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